S. Somanath is an Indian aerospace engineer and rocket technology expert best known for his appointment as the 10th Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in January 2022.
Somanat of ISRO
Wiki/Biography
Somanath Sreedhara Panicker was born in July 1963 in Alur, Alappuzha District, Kerala (59 years old as of 2022). He attended St. Augustine’s School in Arrol. From 1978 to 1980, he studied preparatory courses at Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam. From 1980 to 1985, he studied Mechanical Engineering at TKM College of Engineering, University of Kerala, Cologne. He subsequently pursued a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering (specializing in Dynamics and Control) at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore from 1994 to 1995, and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in 2008.
appearance
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
Somanath’s father, Sreedhara Panicker, was a teacher. His mother’s name was Sakama.
wife and children
Somanath’s husband Valsala Somanath works in the goods and services tax department. They have two children, a son Madhav and a daughter Malika.
Somanat and family
Race
He is Malayan.
address
M-13, Murali Nagar, Thiruvananthapuram-695022 Ambalamukku, Peroorkada, Kerala, India, PO, Trivandrum-695 005, Kerala
somanat address
Chairman, Indian Space Research Organization
After college, Somanath joined ISRO in 1985. He joined Vikram Sarabhai Space Center and his first project was the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) project. In 2010, he became Deputy Director (Projects) of VSSC and Project Director of GSLV Mk-III Launch Vehicle. In 2014, he became deputy director of the Propulsion and Space Regulations entity. In 2018, he was appointed Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC) and in 2015, he became Director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Center (LPSC). In January 2022, he was appointed as the tenth chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for a three-year term.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- He also received the Excellence in Performance Award from ISRO in 2009.
- In July 2018, he received an honorary doctorate from Satyabhama University, Chennai.
- In October 2019, he received the National Aviation Award from the Aeronautical Society of India.
- In October 2020, he received an honorary doctorate from Centurion University, Bhubaneswar.
- He received a gold medal while pursuing his master’s program.
- He received the Space Gold Medal from the Indian Astronautical Society.
- He also received the Team Excellence Award for the implementation of the GSLV Mk-III.
- On November 1, 2023, he was awarded the second highest civilian honor of Karnataka Rajyotsava Prashasti (also known as Rajyotsava Award) at the 68th Karnataka Rajyotsava Congress.
salary
As of 2019, his salary is Rs. There are 225,000 people below level 17, the highest level.
Facts/Trivia
- Somanath is the fourth South Indian to assume the chairman’s post in 2022 after K Kasturirangan, G Madhavan Nair and K Radhakrishnan.
- He specializes in vehicle design, engineering, structural design, structural dynamics and pyrotechnics.
- Somanath succeeds K. Sivan as Chairman of ISRO.
- When he graduated, he ranked second in his class. In 1994, Somanath participated in a project called Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle along with his seniors from ISRO. Due to some issues, the launch of the satellite was stopped, Somanat solved the problem within a few minutes and the rocket was launched.
- He said in an interview that when he was young, he was fascinated by rockets, the sun, and stars. He further added that his father used to teach Hindi but he would still buy him science books in English and Malayalam.
- When he was studying engineering, he told a teacher to teach him propulsion, a rocketry subject that was not his subject.
- Since he was an avid movie fan, he joined a film society in Thiruvananthapuram.
- He is also a member of other groups including the National Academy of Engineering (INAE), the Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI), the Astronautical Society of India (ASI) and the respective members of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA).
- He has given various TED Talks.
Somanath during TED talk
- After becoming ISRO chairman, he said in an interview,
This is a truly proud moment for me and everyone associated with me. I am deeply humbled by this task and look forward to the challenging times ahead. I want to bring the benefits of the space program to everyone and meet the needs of the nation. In addition, we need to further expand and reach higher goals in the space economy. “
- In the interview, he also talked about the strategies he will use during his term, saying:
Areas of focus will be technology, policy, implementation and areas where stakeholders need to be taken care of. We need to focus on different market segments. From a technical perspective, we are a technology powerhouse in various disciplines. We need to introduce new methods to make the best use of what is available. There are also many new technologies. We need to introduce newer approaches; we must work with various capacity builders such as technology companies. “
- Chief Minister of Kerala Shri. Pinarayi Vijayan tweeted his congratulations on his appointment as chairman.
Chief Minister @vijayanpinarayi congratulates VSSC Director S Somanath on his appointment as Chairman, @ISRO Minister of Defense and wishes him a fruitful and innovative tenure. The CM said he was proud that Kerala has provided yet another leader to the Indian space programme. pic.twitter.com/FcN0ljNBCn
— CMO Kerala (@CMOKerala) January 12, 2022
- Somanath was diagnosed with cancer on September 2, 2023, the day the Aditya-L1 spacecraft was launched. After surgery and chemotherapy, he recovered.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education